Rugby World Cup Wrap: 5 Takeaways

The weekend of the World Cup semi-finals has come and gone. Bet Central brings you the standout points from the penultimate week of rugby’s biggest showpiece.

Los Pumas Disappointed With A Sluggish Performance

The timing of the World Cup draw has been called into question over the last 2 weeks after the strongest 4 teams going into the tournament met in the quarterfinal stage thus weaker teams made it into the semis. One such team was Argentina who despite a penchant for getting at least 1 big upset every season are no models of consistency.

After a titanic performance against Wales in the quarterfinals, Michael Cheika’s side felt as if a bouncing All Blacks team put them to the sword in an utterly one-sided semifinal. It was a sluggish performance from Los Pumas – they simply never pitched on the day.

All Blacks Peaking At The Right Time

After a tumultuous 4 years under the tutelage of Ian Foster, the All Blacks seem to have found their peak at the right time. Absolutely no one gave them a chance of getting to the final, but the experience of New Zealand’s big game players has propelled them to the final in Paris.

New Zealand beat an off-colour Los Pumas side 44-6 in a one-sided semi-final to book a place in the final. They now stand on the cusp of history as the most unfancied All Blacks team in recent history is 80 minutes away from being world champions – they have peaked at the right time.

Boks’ Unreal Mental Toughness

The All Blacks opposition in the final will be the Springboks who if rugby were completed after 60 minutes would have been back home 2 weeks ago. But they are on the verge of defending through sheer mental toughness.

The Boks were able to mount 2 incredible fightbacks against France in the quarterfinals and England in the semi-finals. It spoke to just how mentally in tune the team is, the ability to maintain composure and belief even when it seems there is no way back into the game. This mental aptitude will be especially important as they look to get past a team that has their number more often than not in the quest for a 4th World Cup title.

Is England Finding Their Bearings?

There have been some tough moments for England over the last couple of years and the moment the Boks stole the victory from England’s grasp in the 78th minute would have been one of the toughest. England played unbelievably well on the day and a loss was a harsh outcome.

But there is reason to be optimistic for the team that has shown throughout this World Cup that they have the resources to be successful, they just need a mentor who can bring it all together. Steve Borthwick seems to be finding a good balance between youth and experience for England and it looks like they will reap the rewards in the future.

Southern Hemisphere Reigns Supreme Again

Once again for the 5th consecutive World Cup, the winners will be a Southern Hemisphere team – one of the All Blacks or Springboks have won it in the last 4 editions and it shall be so again. The Northern Hemisphere will have to wait for 2027 to have another shot at adding a 2nd World Cup to their solitary title.

The Northern Hemisphere sides are undoubtedly on the up, but the nous and experience of the Southern Hemisphere team have come out on top this time. It should be a humdinger.